Essay about DBQ 2

Submitted By Sushiman567C
Words: 699
Pages: 3

Dane Sekerak
Hour 6

DBQ #2 Before 1650 the Dutch Provinces enjoyed economic prosperity. The Dutch held 3 main trade routes (Baltic Trade Routes Map) that supplied them with all the essential resources. However, during the period of 1650-1713 The Dutch were hit hard with trading conflicts, shifting alliances, and general misfortune when it came to its economy. This led to the decline of there monopolies in the Atlantic, Baltic, and the East Indies. The decline in Dutch financial standpoint came because of its lack of security, provinces disunity, and lack of trade ability. The Dutch's security proved to be a fault during. However, it was no surprise that The Dutch Republic were the target of many larger countries. It had an abundance of trading resources, as well as many merchant ships to use. The first key downfall was its lack of protection of merchant ships as shown by the , "Estimated losses to merchant shipping...", over 2,000 merchant ships lost to The English Navy. This helped with the downfall of trade. The Dutch also faced a mixed bag of enemies. France was a main instigator because of its close proximity and need for Dutch trade. In The Treaty of Dover explains The King of France's plans to pay for a land campaign against The Dutch, with many European allies. This may be a reason for The Dutch's lack of secure merchants because they are busy defending the mainland. Also, with rise in demanding trade partners the Dutch became evermore paranoid of invasion. The Amsterdam City Council point out that monarchs from all over Europe scheme "..to ruin what remains of the trade and navigation of the Dutch Republic". Furthermore, Konrad Van Beuningen, Dutch ambassador in England, finds that England seems to be pressing for war between France and The Dutch. This shows the paranoia that was spread through the Dutch Goverment. During the 17th and early 18th century Holland was the wealthiest of all the Dutch Provinces this brought differences between Holland and the rest of the provinces. This difference came because of the wealth difference. Also, other provinces wanted war but as stated by George Downing, English ambassador in the Dutch Republic, "..Holland alone must expect to bear the financial burden in a war". This means many Dutch citizens could not pay for a war. This disagreement caused a lack of trust between provinces on how to "oppose the violent attacks of Louis XIV". As summarized by a anonymous pamphelt published in Holland, Hollanders actually pushed for lower taxes on merchants. Which bias is a lot of wealthy merchants lived in Holland. Also, another Amsterdam pamphlet states that all the